Lightroom > Photoshop - Made changes to original file, can i update in PS?

[MattiasIsaksson]

I have 2 photos in Lightroom that i have composited together in PS.

Client wasn't too happy about the end result, i can save it by changing the color correction in LR but i have quite a number of files to go through.

Is there any way to "refresh" or update the original files in PS from my new LR-settings?

Everything else is the same, filenames, locations, etc.

[JohanElzenga]

I'm not sure what you mean, but if you mean "can I update my original Lightroom raw files and will that automatically also update the Photoshop composite(s)?" then the answer is no, it will not.

[MattiasIsaksson]

I took before/after photos of several people.

For Person A i did a right/left split across their face in PS.

So in lightroom i have Photo A (before) and Photo B (after), i did color correction on those and then i edited in PS. That's where i did my "split" by aligning the two layers and fixing all the little things that needed fixing.

If there was a way to replace the old layers with the new ones, that would save me hours of work and i'm sure there must be some way to just "swap" the old layer in PS for the new layer while maintining things like size/position/etc.
It's the exact same file, no virtual copy, just new color correction. That's why i was hoping there would be some way to "refresh" the info fetched in PS with the new info from LR.

[gary_sc]

Like Johan, I'm not all that certain that I follow what you are doing but if I understand it correctly, one option would be to make a Virtual Copy of the images, delete the history so that you're working with the original (raw) images, and start afresh. That would leave your current version and the Cliant Aprooved version both available.

Would that work for you?

[MattiasIsaksson]

I took before/after photos of several people.

For Person A i did a right/left split across their face in PS.

So in lightroom i have Photo A (before) and Photo B (after), i did color correction on those and then i edited in PS. That's where i did my "split" by aligning the two layers and fixing all the little things that needed fixing.

If there was a way to replace the old layers with the new ones, that would save me hours of work and i'm sure there must be some way to just "swap" the old layer in PS for the new layer while maintining things like size/position/etc.
It's the exact same file, no virtual copy, just new color correction. That's why i was hoping there would be some way to "refresh" the info fetched in PS with the new info from LR..

[Just Shoot Me]

Sorry I do not understand your question. If what Johan wrote then OK. 

But.

Quote:

I have "2" photos in Lightroom that i have composited together in PS.

Client wasn't too happy about the end result.
End Quote:

Ok then take the original files in LrC and work on them individually. That is unless you overwrote one of them when you made the composite instead of creating a new, completely Different, file of the composite.

Quote:
 i can save it by changing the color correction in LR but i have quite a number of files to go through.
End Quote:

You said you took 2 images and combined them. Why would you have quite a number of files to go through?

And for you last question the answer is no. 

[MattiasIsaksson]

I took before/after photos of several people.

For Person A i did a right/left split across their face in PS.

So in lightroom i have Photo A (before) and Photo B (after), i did color correction on those and then i edited in PS. That's where i did my "split" by aligning the two layers and fixing all the little things that needed fixing.

If there was a way to replace the old layers with the new ones, that would save me hours of work and i'm sure there must be some way to just "swap" the old layer in PS for the new layer while maintining things like size/position/etc.
It's the exact same file, no virtual copy, just new color correction. That's why i was hoping there would be some way to "refresh" the info fetched in PS with the new info from LR

[Conrad C]

There is an advanced workflow that will let you do this, but it requires careful advance planning. You’d import the raw files into Photoshop as linked Smart Objects with metadata sidecar files saved from Lightroom Classic, and you’d have to be comfortable with how to pass the edit metadata between the two programs so that updating the images inside Photoshop is possible. And you would have to avoid rasterizing those camera raw smart objects. It’s as complicated as it sounds, and every step must be done absolutely correctly. The only reason I even mention it is to say that it’s technically possible, even the split down the middle that you mentioned in other replies could have been done by masking off opposite halves of each linked Smart Object. But for your existing Photoshop files, it’s much too late to do it that way because your Photoshop layers are no longer raw images.

If the Lightroom Classic images you are working with were converted long ago into regular Photoshop layers, they’re now permanently disconnected from their original raw files, so if you want a new version with the latest edits from Lightroom Classic, you basically have to start over. Either manually open the updated Lightroom Classic images in Photoshop and manually swap them in to replace the old layers, or reproduce your latest Lightroom Classic edits using the features in Photoshop.

[MattiasIsaksson]

Alright, that's what i was afraid of.

I've seen the smart object solution being mentioned in other places too, i guess that's what i learned from this project, open as smart object next time. 🙂
Using XMPs is no major issue.

Then i'm just wondering what the benefit would be in using LR instead of using Camera RAW in PS directly, doing my grading there and then working directly in PS. Nothing missed (except LR workflow, right?

Thanks for your answer!

[Conrad C]

MattiasIsaksson wrote:

“Then i'm just wondering what the benefit would be in using LR instead of using Camera RAW in PS directly, doing my grading there and then working directly in PS. Nothing missed (except LR workflow, right?” 

Right, nothing missed except LR workflow, because using Camera Raw on a raw Smart Object in Photoshop has practically all the features of the Develop module Lightroom Classic. Some people prefer editing in Camera Raw because it has a reputation for being less laggy than Lightroom Classic.

I use the linked raw Smart Object workflow a lot. I often work with photos in groups that must be visually consistent, so I will often sync edits across multiple photos in Lightroom Classic. So for me it isn’t just about one photo, but a group being edited together in Lightroom Classic. If a raw file changes in Lightroom Classic because it was updated as part of a group, I can send that image’s updates to its Smart Object in Photoshop to keep everything consistent.

Even if I’m only working with a single photo, I often notice further edits I’d like to make at the raw stage after it’s been used in Photoshop. Sure, that can be taken care of in Camera Raw in Photoshop if the raw file is a Smart Object, but then it’s out of sync with the version in Lightroom Classic. With linked Smart Objects I change it from either side, and both versions can be updated.

There is one more thing…

A major problem with editing a raw Smart Object in Camera Raw is that you can’t see how your edits look in the context of the Photoshop document until you exit Camera Raw…there’s no Preview option. Having to go into and out of Camera Raw repeatedly just to see if the edits match the document gets tiresome. But, with a linked Smart Object, you can edit the raw photo in Lightroom Classic, save metadata (Command-S/Ctrl-S), and when you switch to Photoshop it updates the linked Smart Object with the changes. I do this on a two-display system, so I can edit in Lightroom Classic on one display, save metadata, and click Photoshop on the other display so that Photoshop will update with the changes applied. Much more interactive than opening and closing Camera Raw all the time.

[Todd Shaner]

"Client wasn't too happy about the end result, i can save it by changing the color correction in LR but i have quite a number of files to go through. Is there any way to "refresh" or update the original files in PS from my new LR-settings?"

You don't mention what type of color correction is required. If it's to be applied to the whole composited PS edited file why not apply LR WB, HSL, Split Toning, etc. to them? You could then export them to apply the color correction settings to the PS edited files. If you can provide more details on what color correction actually needs to be applied I might be able to provide specific LR edit settings suggestions.